Circuit City Files Bankruptcy

Circuit City Stores Inc. has announced that it plans to close 155 of its more than 700 U.S. stores by Dec. 31. If you live close to any of the stores on the Circuit City store closings list, keep an eye out for potentially huge markdowns in the next month!
11/28 update - many stores are having markdowns up to 40%

Sample Sunday - This Week's Guide to Free Samples

Here’s this week’s list of free samples…

Sundance Organic Tea
Teasta Tea (Don’t click on the Free Sample button as it doesn’t work. Simply look the tea selection and pick out two of the same sizes and enter the code indicated on the home page to get your free tea. They have some cool flavors, I can’t wait to try the chocolate mint roibos one!)
Shelburne Falls Coffee
Ethiopian Coffee
Orville Redenbachers Lime and Salt Natural Groumet Popcorn
Just Like Sugar Substitute
Glad Storage Bag
Huggies Diaper – Remember, even if they don’t have the size you need, order the next size up as there may be a coupon with it
Kirkland Signature Diaper (you don't need to be a member)
Salon Secret – This is mystery hair care product by Walmart that is releasing on November 24. You can get the product before everyone else!
Spirutein Supplements Shaker Cup, Coupon and Sample (you need to answer some questions)
Eucerin Calming Crème
Right at Home Samples (first 20, 000 people get a Ziploc produce bag, storage bag, snack bag, steam cooking bag and a snap and seal container (you can’t participate this if you’ve participated in this offer in the past 6 months)

For free stuff from previous weeks that may still be available – go to my Sample Sunday list.

How to Use a Breadmaker

A few months ago I was having a conversation with a friend and she told me that she made bread. I mentioned that I've always wanted to buy a breadmaker, but have hesitated because I didn't this to be just another gadget that ends up gathering dust in the basement after the infatuation has died off. I mean, how many garage sales have you been to where they're selling their once-loved ab roller for a dollar? My friend offered to give me her breadmaker. I was very excited about the prospect of making bread but then there was a glitch... the breadmaker didnt have a manual and because the breadmaker was a discontinued, it was hard to track down the manual. But after some research, I came to find that breadmakers have fairly standard features, so once you figure out the basics, you're on your way to a lifetime of healthy, inexpensive bread! I make bread several times a week (oat bread, hallah, cinnamon, italian, etc.) and it never ceases to amaze me how easy it is. You just dump all the ingredients in to a machine, walk away and you come back a while later to a tasty loaf of bread!

Inspired by other blogging moms such as The Centisible Sawyer, I've gone ahead and made a video about how to use a breadmaker! If you're ever been curious about whether or not it really is that easy... check out my YouTube video. After you've watched the video, click on the image so that you can rate it. Please, please rate it!

Free Haircut with Herbal Essences Rebate

Keep an eye out for specially marked Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner bottles. If you buy 2 of the qualifying products, go to the Herbal Essences site to get a redemption form and they'll send you a coupon for a free haircut at participating salons. Offer valid through 6/30/09. Herbal Essences is on sale at Kroger and other retailers this week and there was a $2/2 off coupon in the November P&G insert (you can get an additional $2/2 coupon with the Kroger eSaver which is stackable, so the price comes out to 49c each).

Gifts on a Budget – Amazon 70% off Sale

Has Amazon always had a 70% off section? I just discovered it! If you’re looking for high-quality gifts at a discount, this is the place to be. As I’m typing this, there are 24 pages of items at 70% off. You can search by item and price (bottom left hand corner of the screen). In the $0-$24 range there are 1160 items and in the $25-$49 range, there are 342 items. Examples? A 5pc serving set for $17.38 (reg. $100), a Black and Decker Saw for $23.54 (reg. $114.41), a triple scoop ice cream maker for $29.99 (reg. $99.99), a bathrobe for $28.46 (reg. $100), 510 thread count sheets for $23.06 (reg. $110), Tommy Hilfiger sheet set for $18.90 (reg. $90), George Foreman Outdoor Grill Stand $16 (reg. $65), Satin Sheets for $17.27 (reg. $59.99), a $400 electric skillet for $51.27 , a Waring Professional Blender for $50.17 (reg. $225), Nordic Ware Cookware $55.80 (reg. $280). As you can see above, any items over $25 come with free shipping. If you do a google search for Coupon Codes you’ll find various Amazon discount codes, but I didn’t find any that pertain to the items in this portion of the site. If you know of any, let me know!

P&G to Donate Meals for Each Coupon Redeemed

For every coupon you redeem from the November 2, 2008 P&GbrandSAVER coupon booklet (it was in the Nov 2 newspaper insert), you actively help P&G donate a meal through Feeding America (a domestic hunger relief charity supported by individuals and corporations) to someone in need during the holidays. That's up to 16 million meals to after-school programs, emergency shelters, food pantries and soup kitchens. So if you were to only use 4 coupons this month, this means that you’ve put dinner on the table for a family in need (and I know Affluent Paupers are using waaay more coupons than that!) Also, if you go to the Cascade website, with one click of your mouse, you can help Cascade donate another 4 million meals.

If you can use a coupon and feed someone hungry, it’s a great cause, but I just wish that companies would utilize cause marketing year-round, rather than putting a heightened focus on the holiday season. The stomach of a hungry person doesn’t just groan for help in the last two months of the year.

Below is a summary of my shopping trip today at Kroger where I was able to stock up on some pantry and convenience items. Kroger has a great deal this week – if you buy 10 items in a particular category, you get $5 deducted from your bill, limit 3 per transaction – if you go to the navigation bar on my blog you can view the flyer. It's a win/win all around. I paid $38.62 for the below items. I saved $73.15 (66%). After I paid, the register spit out three coupons: one $1.50 coupon off any 7 Stouffers, one $1.50 coupon off any 4 General Mills Cereals and one $2.50 off any 3 Johnsons products. You’ll also notice that each of the Cheerios packs has a coupon on it for $1.50 off a pack of Pampers. So I’m happy! P&G is happy that I bought 17 of their products and 17 people will be happy to get a free meal!

Newspaper Coupons – The Reason to get the Paper this Month

Retailers are gearing up for the season and the high value store coupons and incentives are coming in like crazy, giving consumers tremendous opportunities to purchase gifts, home items, tools, office supplies and more at a discount. This week’s paper included Belk coupons for $10 off any $25 purchase. Ulta from now until Nov 8 will let you save 20% off any one item in the store with a coupon (code 97152 online) and they’ll throw in a free pair of lamps ($50 value!) with any purchase of $20 or more. I’m waiting for another $10 off any purchase of $30 or more coupon from Bed, Bath & Beyond. And let’s not forget about the regular faves – 40% off any item at JoAnn and Michaels craft stores so that we never pay full price on art projects!

If you ever forget to pick up your Sunday paper, call your local paper and find out if you can swing by and get a copy or if they’ll mail you one. I went on vacation a few months ago (before I had home delivery of my newspapers) and came back to realize that I had missed some great grocery store coupons. I was able to stop by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and pick up additional copies.